• by Brittany Barnic , Op-Ed Contributor, March 25, 2015

On Demand, premium channel subscriptions, TiVo, satellite radio — these are all services that have gained widespread traction over the past few years. With On Demand you can choose from hundreds of movies and hundreds of television series to watch with a click of your remote. Premium channel subscriptions such as HBO, Showtime, Cinemax and Starz give you the luxury of being able to watch your show/movie without being interrupted by commercial breaks. TiVo gives peace of mind to those “on-the-go” who do not have time to catch their favorite TV show when it’s airing; the record feature allows you to save and watch at a later date. In addition, the fast-forward feature means you can speed right past those pesky commercials if you so choose.

In terms of radio, satellite is your best bet if you want options without all the local commercials broadcasting between songs and interrupting your jam session. Notice a common underlying feature of these services? You guessed it, avoidable commercials. Despite the millions of dollars spent on advertising every year, it’s very important to keep your target market in mind; because, if this market happens to be an affluent crowd, chances are pretty high that they subscribe to a variety of these services and can opt to pass by much of your efforts. Nielsen reports that there’s a substantial difference between regular cable TV viewers and on-demand (VOD) viewers when it comes to high-income households. Studies confirm that 31% of VOD users earn more than $100,000 per year, compared to 21% of the entire TV audience.

So what opportunities exist for those marketing to the affluent to ensure that their efforts are not going unnoticed? Two key strategies with proven success are: (1) Maintaining a strong web presence and (2) Implementing product placement.

Strong Web Presence

The affluent have a much higher spending power than the average person. However, studies show that with this power comes more concern for the purchases that they are making. According to a study conducted by Martini Media and Ipsos MediaCT titled “The Martini Report: The Affluent Audience Online,” “Across segments, 71% to 92% of affluent consumers researched products or services on a computer, and many did pre-purchase research on smartphones and tablets as well.” This study focused on the digital habits of those with a household income of $75,000 or more. Ensuring that your brand is well positioned on the web is vital to ensuring a positive experience with your brand during their pre-purchase phase. Successful pre-purchase research often leads to sales.

Product Placement

With myriad options out there to skip over advertisements, it might be wise to consider spending your ad dollars on product placement within TV shows. Think of the Coke cups and Ford displays on “American Idol”; the Sears appliances, trucks, etc. on ABC’s “Extreme Makeover: Home Edition”; Larry David’s Toyota Prius on HBO’s “Curb Your Enthusiasm”; or even more subtly, Oreos in the Lindsey Lohan version of “The Parent Trap.” While affluent consumers obviously have the means to take advantage of TiVo, the chances of them fast-forwarding through portions of their favorite shows just to dodge any brands that might be mentioned is highly unlikely.